


At Lakeside

by ShinjiShazaki



Series: The Nature of Fire [4]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, I was allowed to add little Adelaide for funsies, request fic, the prompt was Byleth takes Edelgard out on a fishing trip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:15:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27183683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShinjiShazaki/pseuds/ShinjiShazaki
Summary: Despite the many times she'd gone along with Byleth on a fishing trip, Edelgard had never caught a fish herself.With a new fishing rod and a very eager Adelaide, Byleth is determined to change that.(Part of The Nature of Fire universe.)
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth
Series: The Nature of Fire [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1522775
Comments: 5
Kudos: 103





	At Lakeside

**Author's Note:**

> A "request" fic from [twitter user Wright](https://twitter.com/wrightsfefics), check the notes for info!

Like many three-year-olds, Adelaide Eisner had a habit of being curious to the point of frustration. Byleth had lost track of how many times she’d had to chase Adelaide after she’d sneakily taken one of her carving tools to examine, and there were several places on their walls that had to be repainted after Adelaide had taken some of Edelgard’s oil paints to try to emulate her mother’s style. After a carving tool theft had resulted in a cut on Adelaide’s thumb and a lengthy session of crying and apologies, Byleth and Edelgard sat down with each other to puzzle out a solution.

What worked best with Adelaide was simply letting her examine everything while being monitored. Byleth sat with her until she was familiar with all her carving tools, and Edelgard gave up one large canvas for Adelaide to smear paint on until she finally understood what a mess it could be if not contained properly. It set a better precedent for them all, Adelaide learning to ask politely to look at something new and Byleth and Edelgard learning to slow down for her while she came to understand things. Because of this, she was much calmer when, one day late in the summer, Byleth brought home something neither she nor Edelgard had seen before.

“Is that a fishing rod?” Edelgard asked as Byleth set a long wrapped package on their dining table.

“It is.” She leaned down when Adelaide grabbed at the edge of the table, standing on her toes, and picked her up. She set her on her feet on a chair before starting to untie the knotted twine. When Adelaide reached for the package, she said, “One second, Addy. There’s a lot of knots.”

Adelaide stuck out her tongue and grumbled, “ _Knots_.”

“I know, I know,” Byleth chuckled. “I’ll be quick.”

“Did something happen to the rod you brought from Enbarr?” Edelgard asked. “I admit I know very little about how to tell if a fishing rod is in need of repair, but you’ve never looked bothered when you’ve come home from the river.”

“No, nothing was wrong with it,” Byleth said with a smile. She undid the last knot and pulled the twine away, helping Adelaide open the brown paper. The fishing rod was made of dark wood, but Edelgard’s eyes were drawn at once to the metal rings set along its length. A fine line was strung through the rings, leading to what looked to her like a large spool of the line. Attached to the spool was a crank similar to ones on some of Adelaide’s toys, and Adelaide looked at Byleth as she stretched out a hand.

“Yep, you can turn that,” Byleth said, and she brought the fishing rod closer so Adelaide could turn the crank. “The spool of line is called a bail. Having a long line like this lets you throw a lure out a lot further. You get a fish on the hook, then bring it in by turning that crank and making the line shorter.”

Edelgard stared at the fishing rod. After a moment, she said, “You would’ve emptied the fishing pond at Garreg Mach if you’d had such a tool then.”

“Seteth would’ve yelled at me,” Byleth asked. “But I still would’ve done it.”

“Where did you get the idea to have this made?”

“A man who fishes near me on the river has one like this. He let me try casting with it and then told me who makes them in Aibell when I asked. It’s much easier to cast and catch with this.” She looked between Edelgard and Adelaide when Adelaide finally grew tired of turning the crank, and she smiled as she said, “Why don’t we go on a little fishing trip before the new term starts?”

“A…fishing trip?” Edelgard asked.

“Yeah. There’s a nice lake on the other side of the river that I know has a good amount of fish. We could make it a day out, all of us. And Ludwig, he’ll get grumpy otherwise.”

“Painting a lake sounds like a lovely way to spend a day out together,” Edelgard said.

Byleth pouted slightly. “I meant we’d all go to _fish_. Not painting this time.”

“I wanna fish!” Adelaide said, tugging on Byleth’s sleeve. “Mommy, please, I wanna go fish with you!”

“Okay, kiddo, we can,” Byleth said, ruffling her hair. “El, what do you say? Want to go fishing and finally get a catch yourself?”

Edelgard had no time to even take a breath before Adelaide turned a desperately pleading gaze upon her. She sighed and said, “All right, my loves. We can make a trip of it.”

Adelaide cheered, and her excitement was great enough that she tolerated being woken early to leave the house a few days later. Edelgard carried her and a pack of sundry items for the day trip, Byleth managing gear for fishing and bringing their catch home. Ludwig walked between them, checking on Byleth for directions. They reached the lake just after dawn, everything still and quiet but for the rush of the river as it cut in and out of the lake. Byleth looked about, eventually going to a shady spot and setting everything down.

“See that log that’s halfway out of the water?” she asked, pointing into the lake.

“I do. Please don’t tell me you’re going to let Adelaide swim out to that when she wakes up.”

“No, definitely not,” Byleth chuckled. “That’s where most of our catches are going to be.”

“How do you know that?” Edelgard asked, kneeling down to set Adelaide in the soft grass. Ludwig hurried over to sniff Adelaide’s cheeks without waking her, and Edelgard smiled at him as she took off her pack.

“Fish like to hide around logs like that. Someone took a fallen tree and hauled it into the lake to make a spot to lure fish in. So we’ll have you and Addy cast to there.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll cast there too, but I might go to the river’s edge for a change of pace.” She sat down, crooking a finger to make Edelgard do the same. They sat together, Byleth putting an arm around Edelgard’s shoulders as Adelaide continued to sleep. It was hard not to laugh when Adelaide, as was her wont, woke suddenly a few minutes later and sat up without a hint of grogginess.

“Mama, are we at the lake?” she asked, looking at Edelgard.

“We are, my little love,” Edelgard said. “There’s water here, so please be careful.”

Adelaide nodded before looking about. When she saw the lake, she gasped faintly and stood up. Though she took a step toward the water, she stopped so abruptly she nearly toppled over. She turned around and said, “Mommy, will you go with me to the water?”

“Okay, Addy,” Byleth laughed. She kissed Edelgard’s cheek before standing up, and she helped Edelgard to her feet before offering Adelaide a hand. Adelaide led her to the water’s edge, holding tight to her hand as she looked out at the lake.

“There’s fish in there?” she asked.

“There should be,” said Byleth. “Want to see Mama cast?”

“Cast?” Adelaide echoed.

“Cast a line.” When Adelaide simply boggled at her, she grinned and said, “It’s a little easier to just show you. C’mon, kiddo. You too, El.”

Edelgard laughed as Adelaide hurried away from the water, tugging on Byleth’s hand to make her walk quickly back to their things. The fishing rod was retrieved first, Adelaide allowed to hold it while Byleth rummaged around in a bag. She took out three things: a wooden box, a glass bottle, and a piece of cork for a lure. The bottle, its cap peppered with holes, held squirming earthworms.

“Mommy, how come you have worms in there?” Adelaide asked.

“Fish eat them.” She handed the bottle to Edelgard, who peered at the worms with a raised brow.

“This explains why you were in the garden for so long yesterday,” she said.

“Just making sure we had enough if the fish stole some bait from us,” Byleth replied with a cheeky smile. She opened the wooden box next, saying, “Addy, you can look at these, but you have to be careful. They’re sharp metal. They’re our hooks to catch the fish on.”

Adelaide nodded, holding out both hands. Byleth set one hook in her hands, waited for her to examine it thoroughly, and nodded when Adelaide put it back in the box. She took the fishing rod from Adelaide to tie a hook on the end of the line and the lure above it, showing both Edelgard and Adelaide how the knots had to be tied. Once a worm was speared on the hook, she grinned and offered the rod to Edelgard.

“Back to being student and teacher for a bit,” she laughed.

“I suppose we are,” Edelgard admitted. “You will have to demonstrate how this works, I’m afraid. I remember the action from when you fished at Garreg Mach, but this is a much longer line.”

“It really is.” She gave Adelaide one of her hands, saying, “We’re going to go to the water again. I need you to stand in one spot for us, okay? I don’t want you to get caught on the hook.”

“Okay!” She followed Byleth’s lead to one spot near the water, holding her shirt to keep track of her hands as Byleth went to Edelgard. Byleth brought Edelgard to the water’s edge and moved to stand behind her. She guided the fishing rod to Edelgard’s right hand, arranging her fingers so her grip was split with two fingers above where the bail was connected to the rod and two below.

“Comfy that way?” she asked. “I held it like that when I tried it before. You do want your pointer finger above the connection.”

Edelgard considered her grip before nodding.

“Good. Next, you hook your pointer finger over the line, but don’t pull it flat against the rod. You’re just keeping it steady. Then we’ll open the bail arm—left hand, keep the line steady with your right—to let to line go out on the cast.”

“All right,” Edelgard said, and she checked her grip on everything as she turned the bail’s arm in the direction Byleth pointed. She kept her hands steady as Byleth turned them to one side.

“Left hand on the bottom of the rod now,” said Byleth. “You’ll pivot the rod against that hand.” She pointed out into the lake and said, “We’re going to cast right at that log, and you’ll let the line slip off your pointer finger. It’ll be like throwing a toy for Ludwig, just more strength in the throw.”

“All right then.”

“Please don’t let go when you cast,” Byleth whispered. “I did because I wasn’t expecting how the lure would pull.”

“All right,” Edelgard whispered back, barely managing not to laugh. She double checked her grip when Byleth stepped back to stand with Adelaide, took a steadying breath, and found her aim in the log. Thinking of the innumerable times she’d watched Byleth fish at Garreg Mach and at the port in Enbarr, she cast the line out into the lake. The whir of the bail almost made her jump, and the yank of the lure on the line did the same. Still, she held fast to the fishing rod and smiled when the lure and bait landed with the faintest splash near the log.

“Mama, yay!” Adelaide cheered, both hands in the air. “You did it!”

“So I did,” Edelgard laughed. “I doubt it looked as pretty as when Byleth does this.”

“No, that was pretty good for your first-ever cast,” Byleth said. “I didn’t expect you to get that close to the log the first time.”

“What comes after this?” Edelgard asked. “Once a fish takes the bait, I mean.”

“You’ll need to set the hook in its mouth. It’ll be a quick little tug.”

“How does Mama know if a fish is there?” Adelaide asked, moving to tug on Byleth’s hand.

“That lure of ours will go under the water,” Byleth said, and she crouched down to point toward the lure floating on the water’s surface. “And she’ll feel a real tug on the line, like when Ludwig catches something on a string and tries to run away with it.”

“I see,” Edelgard said, and she kept her eye on the lure. It bobbed in the slow current in the lake, keeping still otherwise. She looked down when she felt something brush her ankle, smiling because Ludwig sat down next to her to wait.

It was serene in a way Edelgard still wasn’t used to. The lake was quiet, perfectly still. Not a single breeze rustled the leaves of the forest around them, and they were far enough from the river that she could barely hear its rushing splashes. Standing there with the sole intention of waiting patiently was a kind of peacefulness wholly distinct from her painting sessions, playtime with Adelaide, or even the quiet moments she took with Byleth.

“I understand why you enjoy this now,” she said, smiling at Byleth. “It’s nice…simply waiting.”

“It’ll get a little exciting in just a minute,” Byleth chuckled.

Edelgard looked at her curiously, but felt a tug on the line. Without thinking, she jerked the fishing rod up and back as she often did with Ludwig’s toys. The crank on the bail began to spin as the line went taut, and she grabbed it to stop it.

“There, you’ve got it hooked!” Byleth said. “Keep the line taut, but don’t reel it in too fast! Let it wear itself out!”

Edelgard looked at her, baffled, and Byleth hurried over to stand with her, arms around her and hands on the fishing rod.

“Reel it in when I say,” Byleth said. “Otherwise you just want to keep the line from going slack.”

“Right,” she said, nodding and tightening her grip on the crank. She watched Byleth jerking the rod from side to side as the fish darted back and forth. When the line began to slacken, Edelgard turned the crank to keep it taut.

“Keep reeling!” Byleth said, pulling back on the rod until it was nearly vertical.

She did so, leaning forward as Byleth did. A quick set of turns on the crank and a mighty heave from them both finally brought the fish up out of the water. Adelaide shrieked from surprise as the fish swung on the end of the line, tail flapping. Though his focus had been on the fish, Ludwig went to stand guard in front of Adelaide when he heard her shriek.

“Thank you, Ludwig,” Byleth laughed as she caught hold of the line just over the fish. She peered at it, turning it this way and that, before nodding. “This is a pretty good size. We can cook it up for lunch on a fire out here.”

“That was—more active than I thought it would be,” Edelgard said.

“It usually is when you get something bigger like this,” Byleth said. “Give me a minute—don’t let it wiggle off the line.”

Edelgard nodded, taking the line and moving a few paces away from the water as Byleth went to their things. She retrieved a metal case from the bags she’d been carrying, filling it with water from the lake. Once it was on flat ground, she beckoned Edelgard and Adelaide over. She took the fish in her hands when Edelgard was close, removing the hook from its mouth with a practiced twist. The fish stopped thrashing when Byleth put it in the water, swimming in sedate circles in the small case.

“Mommy, what fish is this?” Adelaide asked, kneeling down to look at the fish closely.

“A carp, kiddo,” Byleth said. “They stay in lakes and rivers, so we’ll probably catch more today.”

“Are carps good?”

“I think so, at least with how El and I know how to cook them.”

“I wanna help catch one! Can I?”

“Sure!” Byleth said. “El, let me have the rod this time. Addy, come with me.”

Edelgard hid a giggle in her hand as she passed the fishing rod to Byleth. In turn, Byleth added another worm to the hook before offering a hand to Adelaide. They went to the water’s edge together, Byleth sitting down with her legs outstretched. She helped Adelaide sit between her legs, holding the fishing rod out before her.

“So you hold the bottom part of this, okay?” Byleth said. “I’ll take care of the line.”

“Okay!” She held it tentatively, watching Byleth cast the line with a measure of awe in her eyes.

Edelgard sat down to watch them, smiling at the sight of them. The same eager light was in their blue eyes, a hopeful smile on Adelaide’s face and a confident grin on Byleth’s. As Ludwig came over to settle beside her, purring loud enough to hear, Edelgard chuckled.

Not for the first time in her life, she wished she could capture the image of that moment exactly as it was. Byleth in her element was always a treat, but watching Adelaide discover something new was something she would never grow tired of. Sitting there with them, Edelgard missed nothing of her old life. When the lure was pulled underwater and Byleth and Adelaide began their small struggle with a fish, she laughed.

There were days where, despite her best efforts, she wondered if all she’d done to get them where they were was worth it. That day at the lake, all of them laughing as the fish kept biting, Edelgard had no regrets at all.

**Author's Note:**

> If you're interested in getting in on "request" fics, take a gander at my pinned tweet on [my twitter](https://twitter.com/shinjishazaki) for more info!


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